Compare software

river vs Sway: catalog facts
river	Sway
Best for: Linux users who want to build or choose their own Wayland window manager	Best for: Use an i3-style tiling workflow on Wayland
Free Free and open source.	Free Free and open source. Hosting, hardware and any external services are separate.
Linux	Linux
Window management policy is a separate, replaceable program Documented window management protocol All 3 strengths for river Window management policy is a separate, replaceable program Documented window management protocol Actively developed with regular releases	Supports much of the i3 configuration format Arranges windows with keyboard-driven layouts
Needs a separate window manager to be useful Building from source requires the Zig toolchain All 3 limitations for river Needs a separate window manager to be useful Building from source requires the Zig toolchain Older configurations belong to river-classic	Some X11 applications and workflows need compatibility layers or alternatives.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MIT
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Offline features available	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for river isaacfreund.com/software/river Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Sway swaywm.org github.com/swaywm/sway Catalog checked September 22, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.